Combining ability analysis for seed yield per plant and its components in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Combining ability for seed yield and its component traits in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) was studied using diallel mating design involved 37 test entries comprising of 28 hybrids developed from eight diverse parental lines and one standard check (G.TIL 4). The analysis of variance for combining ability revealed that mean square due to GCA and SCA were significant for all the characters except width of capsule for GCA indicated that both type of gene effects played a vital role in the inheritance of all these traits. The magnitude of GCA and SCA variances revealed that the SCA variances were higher than their respective GCA variances for all the characters which confirmed the preponderance of non-additive gene action for all the traits. The estimate of GCA effects indicated that the parents AT 377 and G.TIL 4 were found good general combiners for plant height, number of branches per plant, number of internodes per plant, length of capsule, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, 1000-seed weight and seed yield per plant commonly. For the characters related to earliness viz., days to 50% flowering, AT 396 was found good combiner. The cross combinations viz., AT 377 x AT 396, AT 347 x G.TIL 4 and AT 376 x AT 377 were found to be good specific cross combination for seed yield per plant accompanied by high to moderate heterotic response.